


Words Unspoken

by GrenadeFestival



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Gen, a hearing person tries to write characters speaking sign language, awkward but ultimately happy reunions, mute molly - Freeform, socially awkward caleb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-06-14 21:10:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15397521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrenadeFestival/pseuds/GrenadeFestival
Summary: When living alone in the woods on the run from the Empire, one learns to be prepared for anything. Caleb certainly thought he was, until he stumbled across an empty house, a fresh grave, and a man who could only say one word.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this to give people reading my Widomauk angst fic something nice to read this week if they didn't feel like upsetting themselves all over again. I consider this a complete work as is, but if I feel like it, I might continue it later. Just depends on if people would be interested in that. Enjoy!

The house was too clean to be abandoned, which Caleb found troubling. The windows were clear, the foundation solid, and the door even locked. It couldn’t have been empty for long, and it being such a nice house, Caleb couldn’t imagine it was abandoned for any mundane reasons. But it was a house. It was a roof. It was a little bit of civility. So he would take it, even if it was diseased or cursed. He didn’t think any earthly curse could possibly ruin his life anymore than he already had. He knew he couldn’t stay - he never stayed in one place long - but if all went well, perhaps he could return the next time he was craving a more substantial shelter than the trees and caves he was used to. 

The main room looked the most lived in. The fireplace had pieces of half-burned wood and kindling still in it. There were scuffs on the floor, the surface of the long wooden table, and the benches on either side of it. He could see rings in the wood where drinks once sat, even a boot print, as if someone had jumped up on the table. He smiled a little at the image of some person, maybe a little drunk from the night’s revelry, climbing onto the table to dance, or perhaps deliver a rousing speech. The smile disappeared when he wondered again what happened to that person. 

He found two other rooms, more empty than the first. One looked like a rudimentary kitchen, though there was no food to speak of in any of the small cupboards. He found remnants of vegetables and bread, little pieces too small and dried out to be eaten, but everything else had been cleared out. The other room contained a rusted bed frame and a straw mattress where a family of mice had made their home. They scurried out and scattered through the room when Caleb sat down. As he watched them flee, he snapped his fingers, summoning his traveling companion.

“Go on, Frumpkin,” he murmured as the cat appeared on the floor. He waved his hand towards the mice. Frumpkin didn’t need to be told twice. He immediately began diving at the holes the mice had disappeared into, tail sweeping back and forth through the air. 

Caleb took his spell book out of the pocket of his stolen coat and began flipping through the pages, looking for his alarm spell. As much as he used it, he was frustrated that he didn’t have it memorized by now. He didn’t like this, having to re-teach himself how to do the only thing he’d ever been good at, but that didn’t lessen its necessity. If he ever wanted to bring his skills back up to where they were, and beyond, he had to relearn the basics. When he finished, satisfied that he could effectively ward the doorways later, he looked back up at his cat. Frumpkin, empty-handed, looked at him and meowed pitifully. 

“Oh did you not get one?” Caleb asked, “Silly cat, I practically handed them to you.” 

He reached down and scratched behind Frumpkin’s ears. 

“Let us see what is outside then, hm?” 

There was one path that lead to the house, the path Caleb had first followed. It was overgrown and sunken in places, but it was its obvious lack of traffic that had drawn him down it in the first place. He doubted anyone would stumble upon him here, but perhaps he would put some warding down later just in case. For now, he was more worried about the places he hadn’t seen yet. He left the path behind and went deeper into the trees. 

He found no other buildings, no campsites, no signs of human activity as he wandered through the woods. He wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not. No camps or signs of struggle meant that this house probably wasn’t attacked by bandits, but that didn’t rule out the aforementioned diseases or curses, or even monsters. He’d heard stories of such creatures that attacked travelers and left no trace behind. That was the last thing he needed. He muttered under his breath about learning more abjuration spells before he continued on to the east. Before long he came upon a stream. 

The water flowed down a narrow creek bed and tumbled over rocks into a shallow valley. As he walked along the banks, he wondered if perhaps the water had turned toxic, prompting the occupants of the house to leave. He looked for signs of bodies or pollutants, but he didn’t see anything out of place, and dismissed the idea. After a few minutes of walking, he came across a clearing under the branches of a massive oak. 

Its trunk was so large that Caleb didn’t think he could fit his arms around it if there were two of him. The branches stretched out in all directions and formed a thick canopy that hung far over the stream. Fallen leaves formed a springy carpet all across the forest floor, and mushrooms thrived where the leaves began to rot. He bent down to examine one, expecting it to be poisonous, but they all looked perfectly normal and, more importantly, edible to him. A soft hiss broke him out of his thoughts. 

Next to him, Frumpkin bristled and thrashed his tail. The cat stared at the oak tree, hackles raised, and refused to take his eyes off it, even when his master stepped in front of him for a better look. Caleb’s eye traveled over the oak tree and into the woods beyond, but he couldn’t see anything immediately dangerous, which only scared him more. He wondered if he should run, but when nothing jumped out of the bushes to attack them, his curiosity got the better of him. As he walked towards the oak, he saw the source of the cat’s discomfort. 

At the base of the tree the leaves had been raked aside to reveal a vaguely rectangular plot of bare earth. It wasn’t quite deep enough to be considered a hole, but it was too large and out of place to be anything else. At the head of the hole was a large rock, which Caleb quickly realized was too clean to be there by chance. He looked for other markers, carvings, or offerings, and eventually found a bundle of dying flowers that had shriveled up and been blown to the ground near the rock. 

“A headstone,” he murmured. 

_ An a fresh one at that.  _

He immediately felt sick as he stepped back and looked at the hole again. The earth formed uneven piles in some places and collapsed into shallow divots in others, a clear sign that the grave had been disturbed. If it hadn’t been outright plundered, then its digger either had to finish the burial very quickly due to some threat, or even worse, its occupant dug their way out. He shook his head at his last thought, but he couldn’t dismiss it outright. If there was a spellcaster in these woods capable of raising the dead, then monsters and curses were the least of his worries. He reached for his spell book, wondering if looking for signs of magic around the grave would be useful. Behind him, Frumpkin hissed again, and he heard the crunch of leaves underfoot. 

Caleb’s head shot up, and he froze. His heart hammered in his chest. 

“Hello?” he whispered, looking around. 

He heard the rustle again, coming from behind the tree. He sucked in a deep breath and scrambled away from the oak tree. He fumbled at his waist for his dagger.

“I am just a simple woodland hobo, I do not want to fight you,” he stammered.

No response. He took a breath. 

“O-kay, okay okay,” he breathed to himself in a sing-song tone, “This is bad, thi-is is bad…”

Caleb took a ginger step to the side and peered around the tree. He saw a flash of movement as  _ something  _ darted away from his gaze and disappeared once more around the massive trunk. Caleb jumped, clutching the dagger tighter. 

“I did not mean to disturb you, I am sorry,” he said, swallowing hard as his mouth went dry. 

His heart wouldn’t stop pounding. Zombies didn’t move like that. They were single-minded and slow and would have attacked him by now. Could it be a necromancer? Or could it be a monster that cleared out the house after all? He held out his hand, a spell shimmering across his palm, and waited another few seconds for the creature to spring out. Then another few seconds. The creature stayed put. He took a deep breath and took another step back. 

“I am just...I am just going to go, ya? If that is-,” he paused and swallowed hard, “-alright with you.” 

As he moved, he kept his hand out and ready to release a bolt of fire should the creature change its mind about attacking. He took another step back towards the stream, then another, and as he moved around the tree, the source of the sound came into view once more. 

The sight of another person startled him, and the sight of this person in particular raised his fear from unease to near-panic. They were half crouched and wound as tight as a person could be, as if ready to bolt at even the slightest movement. Their tangled hair hung in their face like that of a hag, and from underneath it, two piercing red eyes with no pupils or irises stared back at him. Their sharp nails dug into the bark of the tree, and beneath the grime, Caleb could see they had vibrant purple skin. The two curled horns on either side of their head put the final pieces together for him.

For a moment, Caleb felt more curiosity than fear. In his rural hometown, all children grew up with stories of devil folk who would steal them away if they wandered too far from home. People with jagged horns, sharp teeth, and black eyes like pits who only told lies and caused good, honest folk trouble. When he left home for the Academy, he learned stories like those were largely about tieflings, and most of them weren’t true. Since then he’d only ever met one tiefling in person, and as he took in the strange appearance of the person in front of him, he immediately wanted to know how they’d gotten all the way out here. He had to remind himself that this tiefling could still be a threat, story or not.

Caleb took another step to the side, trying to see if the stranger had any weapons on them. As he moved, the tiefling moved in the opposite direction, trying to stay hidden behind the tree while also keeping their eyes on Caleb. They didn’t seem aggressive. Just scared. Caleb frowned. 

“Ah...are you...alright?” he asked, unsure of what to do in a scenario where he wasn’t being attacked, “I...I am not going to hurt you. Not unless you hurt me.”

The tiefling didn’t reply. Merely stared. Caleb took a few steps forward, trying to get a better look. The stranger didn’t move this time, and he was able to discern some more details.

The tiefling was male, far as he could tell, and he looked even more filthy than Caleb, a feat to be sure. The clothes he wore appeared well made, especially his coat which was made of fine black wool, but they were irreparably stained with mud now. A leather tie still held some of his long, wavy hair together in a low ponytail, but so much had escaped, it hardly served a purpose anymore. Caleb could only begin to guess what had happened to him. Perhaps he lived in the house. 

“Are you from around here?” Caleb asked, “Is that your house up there?” 

He gestured up stream. The tiefling didn’t respond. 

“Do you...have a name…?” Caleb asked. He realized he still had the dagger out and quickly sheathed it. 

He saw the tiefling’s lips move, heard him mutter something under his breath, but it was too quiet for him to hear. 

“Sorry, I did not catch that,” Caleb said. 

The tiefling ignored him and looked away from him back towards the woods. He took a step back, but didn’t bolt just yet. Part of him wanted the stranger to just turn tail and run so he wouldn’t have to worry about what to do, but the other part of him was so starved for company that didn’t want to kill him. He hadn’t had a real conversation with anyone in so long, he’d taken to talking to himself. It was starting to drive him mad, and at this point anything would do. 

“Wait, wait,” Caleb murmured, holding his hand out, “If you run off, you will get hurt. I do not know this area, but I know how to survive in the woods. If you stay, I can help you, and maybe in return you can help me as well.”

The tiefling paused. Studied him. The way he acted reminded Caleb of a feral animal, but as Caleb spoke to him, he could see brief flickers of understanding in his eyes. Caleb took another step forward. He glanced towards the grave, then back at the tiefling. 

“Can you tell me about that? Do you know what happened there?” he asked. 

The tiefling followed his gaze. He shook his head. Caleb continued walking forward until he stood within a few feet of the stranger, who still hid half behind the oak tree. 

“Can you tell me your name again? I did not catch it the first time,” he said. 

The tiefling turned his eyes to the ground. A brief look of confusion and panic crossed his face. He shook his head.

“Empty,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. 

Caleb frowned. 

“MT?” he asked, “Are those initials?”

The tiefling shook his head and whispered the phrase again. Caleb sighed. 

“Alright. Ok, well...I am going to get some water, and then I am going back to a house not far from here. If you follow me, I will figure out some dinner for the both of us. Sound good?” he asked. 

The tiefling still seemed stuck in his own head, but he nodded, a slight and nearly imperceptible gesture. Good enough. Caleb turned and walked back towards the stream, glancing behind him every once in a while to see if his new acquaintance would turn on him, but the tiefling didn’t move from his spot. Caleb dipped his fingers into the stream and tasted it for any obvious traces of poison. Finding none, he refilled his waterskin and stood up. He looked back at the tiefling again. 

“Ok, well...I am going now,” he said. 

He started waking up the stream, back the way he came. After a moment of hesitation, the tiefling followed. Caleb continued his pattern of looking behind him every few seconds, and each time the tiefling was there, lurking like a shadow about twenty feet behind him. As they neared the house, Caleb was hit by what he’d just done. He looked down at Frumpkin, whose tail was still thrashing. 

“Ok Frumpkin, I have made a mistake,” he whispered. 

“Yes, you have,” Caleb whispered back to himself, in a slightly higher voice as if speaking for the cat, “You are lonely, and that has made you stupid. He could be a crazy person.”

“I know, he probably is. But he is not the one talking to a cat right now.”

“He could try to kill you. Even if he does not, you know he cannot stay.”

“No, but it is too late to turn him away. Do not worry, I have a good feeling about this.”

Before long they left the valley and the house came into view. Caleb walked up the front steps and opened the door. He hovered in the doorway and looked back. The tiefling stopped just inside the tree line, and made no move to come any closer. 

“Suit yourself. The door is open,” Caleb said. 

He walked inside, and then he paused. He looked down at Frumpkin land nodded out the door towards their strange guest. Frumpkin flicked his tail, as if in protest, but he did as his master commanded and bounded outside towards the tiefling. Caleb watched the cat, wondering how the stranger would react. As Frumpkin approached him, he simply stood there and stared. Frumpkin stared back and sat down in the grass. After a moment, the tiefling reached out hesitantly towards the cat. Frumpkin ducked away from him, still distrustful, but the tiefling didn’t seem to mind. He simply sat on the ground and watched as Frumpkin turned away from him and began hunting bugs in the grass. 

“Well, at least he is not a dick to cats,” Caleb muttered, walking into the house.

This could be alright. At least for a little while. 

_ Three days,  _ he told himself,  _ then I will leave, and we will work out our fates alone. _

* * *

 

Three days passed in tolerable silence, and the tiefling never once came out of the trees. Caleb left food out on the porch for him, but the man didn’t come inside, and the two of them didn’t talk. Caleb decided to give it another night and reminded him that he was welcome to come inside. It wasn’t until the fifth night when a summer storm rolled through, that he finally accepted the offer. The next morning, Caleb found the tiefling in the front room sitting at the long table, wet but a little cleaner, head resting on his arms, fast asleep.

_ Well he just came inside, I cannot leave now.  _

The next few days were awkward and tense as the two of them tried to figure out how to act around each other. Caleb still set food out for his new housemate when he was done foraging for the day, but they didn’t eat together or communicate beyond single words and gestures. It was frustrating. Not because the tiefling didn’t talk, Caleb thought. No, the problem was with himself. He thought he would be better at talking to people without talking to them by now. He’d certainly spent long enough in a similar enough state to the tiefling, and it didn’t take long for him to grow tired of his own silence. 

“Frumpkin had a bad day today, so no meat,” he said one night, setting a rag full of berries, mushrooms, and various edible greens on the long table. The tiefling sat against the wall, knees pulled up to his chest. He watched Caleb as he walked through the house, as if surprised that he was actually talking to him. Caleb’s mouth went dry as he tried to think of ways to make small talk. 

“We are lucky, you and I,” he said, “There is plenty of food growing in this valley, if you know where to look.” 

He sat down on one of the benches and began picking at their meager dinner. He tried not to stare at the tiefling, though it was difficult. The tiefling was certainly staring at him. After a moment he finally stood up and joined Caleb at the table. 

“There, we are almost like civilized people now,” Caleb said, eating one of the mushrooms. 

The tiefling didn’t respond, just nibbled on a dandelion leaf. 

“So do you not talk because you do not want to or because you cannot?” Caleb asked. 

The tiefling got a far away look in his eyes as he contemplated Caleb’s question. 

“Empty,” he murmured. 

He paused, then set the leaf down on the table and folded his arms close to his chest. Caleb frowned. 

“Bit of both, then?” he asked, “I understand that. I suppose I have not been talking long myself.” 

He ate another mushroom, trying not to sink too deep into his memories of the asylum. In that place people didn’t talk much either. There was either too much noise or not enough, sobbing or silence, never just the simple pleasantries of speech. Any conversations that happened were whispered in passing as patients were moved through the facility, or held across the aisles between the rooms using sign language a deaf patient taught them. Learning the language hasn’t been much of a challenge for him and his keen memory, but it was still nice to have something to keep his mind occupied. Between it and the few books he was allowed, it was the only way he’d stayed lucid. He tapped his fingers on the table as he remembered some of the signs they used. Perhaps those would be needed again.

“But if we are going to live in this space together much longer, we will have to communicate,” he said, “If there is ever any trouble or you are worried about something, do this and I will know what you mean.”

He held one arm up, his forearm parallel across his chest, and brought his other arm over top of it, perpendicular to his other arm, with his thumb pointed towards his chest. 

“Do you think you can do that?” he asked, making the sign again. 

The tiefling watched his movements carefully, then copied the sign. There was hesitation in his movements, but it got the meaning across. Caleb nodded. 

“Yes, like that,” he said, “And ah...if you...if you need to get my attention, but it is not an emergency, do this.” 

He touched his index finger to his lips, making a letter “c” with the rest of his fingers, and curled his finger down towards his chin. 

“That is my name. Or at least how we said it in...where I am from,” he said. 

The tiefling copied the gesture and nodded. 

“Yes. Good, alright, and...well I suppose I will teach you more as it becomes relevant,” Caleb said. 

The tiefling nodded. Then he furrowed his brow, thinking. He looked at Caleb and pointed to himself, a questioning look on his face. Caleb raised his eyebrows. 

“Oh. Oh, well...I am afraid I do not know how to refer to you, my friend,” he said, “You have not told me your name, though I sense that is not through any fault of your own. Do you even know it?” 

The tiefling shook his head and repeated once more the only word he seemed capable of saying. Caleb nodded. 

“Ok,” he said, “We will have to fix that then.”

He turned to his pockets, feeling around for one of the books he carried. The first book his hands found was a pocket guide to local plants and animals. It was the second book he’d stolen during his escape, pilfered from a farmer’s shed along with his pack and waterskin. He opened the book and flipped to the index. 

“How about we do this,” he said, “I will read some words from my, ah, my book here, and we will find something that fits. You do not have to keep it, but we can use it while we are together.” 

The tiefling nodded. 

“Ok,” Caleb said.

He looked down at the index, wondering where to start. 

_ Empty...MT...Start with the ‘M’s then.  _

“Ah...no, no that would not make a good name...ah…,” he murmured, skimming through the words under ‘m’, “Magnolia? You do not seem like a Magnolia to me.” 

The tiefling shook his head. Caleb continued reading. 

“Martin? Are you a Martin?” he asked. 

The tiefling thought about that, but shook his head. 

“Ok, not a Martin…” Caleb murmured, “We may have to move on to the ‘n’s, my friend. I do not think things like ‘muskrat’ or ‘moluccella’ would be good names for anyone.” 

He paused and kept reading. 

“Well, this is not so bad,” he said, “Mollymawk is almost a real name. Are you a Mollymawk?” 

The tiefling paused again. There was a moment of hesitation, but the longer he thought, the more relaxed he seemed, as if the word was growing on him. Finally he looked at Caleb and nodded. 

“That is alright, then? Mollymawk?” Caleb asked, “Alright, I will write that down somewhere so neither of us forget.”

He reached into his pocket for his battered quill and small vial of ink. He took out his spell book and flipped to a mostly blank page where he took short notes. He began writing ‘Mollymawk’, then paused. 

“I think I will change the ‘w’ to a ‘u’, if that is alright. Then if you continue to use it, it will be less obvious that you were named in two minutes using a field guide,” he said. 

He jotted the name down, then turned the book around so the tiefling could see. 

“There. Mollymauk,” he said. 

The tiefling looked at the page and nodded. Caleb took the book back and closed it. 

“And I suppose we should make a sign for it as well, just in case,” he said, “A mollymawk is an albatross, but I do not know the sign for that, so just ‘bird’ will have to do, I think.” 

He put his hand in front of his mouth and tapped his thumb and index finger together, as if mimicking a bird beak. Mollymauk copied the sign and Caleb nodded. 

“Yes. Ok, good, good,” he muttered, “Ah...yes. Good talk.” 

He hunched over the table and picked a berry out of the food pile, unsure of how to end the conversation. Mollymauk didn’t seem to mind his awkwardness, though. A small smile flashed across his face before he went back to eating as well, and the evening passed by in comfortable silence.

* * *

 

Week two passed quickly, and Caleb and Mollymauk rapidly grew more comfortable with each other. At night Caleb would teach Molly new signs like “yes”, “no”, and the tiefling’s personal favorites, “fuck” and “idiot” which he used liberally, though not always correctly. Caleb hadn’t expected him to have such a sarcastic streak, but it became apparent, as Molly’s vocabulary grew, that there was an attitude under the naivety. It made him smile, and so few things did these days. At least, it made him smile until he remembered it couldn’t last. 

By the end of week three, he knew what had to happen. Mollymauk was smarter and more capable than Caleb had ever expected given his situation, but he needed help. He needed a lot of things explained to him, and he still couldn’t speak in full sentences, even with the signs Caleb taught him. Someone had to teach him how to be a person again, and that person couldn’t be Caleb. He was on the run from the Empire, and he had enough trouble keeping himself alive, much less someone without the knowledge or experience needed to survive as a fugitive. He was amazed that in their three weeks together that no trouble had found them, and he knew their luck wouldn’t hold. So it was time to move on.

He would miss him, though. He’d forgotten what having positive interactions with others was like after so many years of manipulation, both on the giving and receiving end. He wasn’t sure he wanted to let that go, but he knew if he didn’t do it now, he never would. As he laid on the lumpy straw mattress that night, thinking about his next move, he imagined what it might be like if they just stayed together a little longer. He wondered what kind of person this man was under the filth, and how he might change. It made him sad to think that by passing him off to the next traveling caravan he found, he would never get to find out. 

But this was not the time to let his loneliness get the better of him. The morning after making his decision, he and Mollymauk walked through the woods and down the worn out path to the nearest road. 

“So ah…I am sorry to abandon you like this,” Caleb said as they stood and waited for someone to pass by, “I have enjoyed having some company again, but I cannot be the person to help you, for many reasons. I need to keep moving, and I can travel faster by myself, hide more easily by myself, and frankly, you should not be learning how to be a person again from me. I did a good turn this one time, I did you a favor, but I am not a good person, and if this is perhaps some kind of second chance for you, then you should try to be a good person this time around. And you, ah...you will not figure out how to do that from me.” 

Mollymauk looked at him, a curious look on his face, but as always he didn’t say anything. He simply nodded. Caleb wondered if he was just doing that to appease him, but as he looked at his companion, he didn’t see blind, wide eyed acceptance. He saw understanding. 

Further down the road, he heard the crunch of gravel under wagon wheels and the rhythmic steps of horses. 

Caleb turned and stepped out into the road, waving his hands at the approaching caravan. As it came closer, he realized the wagons were covered and painted with a variety of vibrant colors and whimsical designs. The two men driving the lead wagon, a half-elf and a human with a scarred face, wore simple tunics and trousers, but their coats were gaudy and decorated with all manners of fine trim and embroidery. The half-elf pulled back on the reins as Caleb walked into the road, and the human called back for the rest of the train to stop. 

“Excuse me!” Caleb called, “Could I have a moment of your time, please?” 

“If you’re selling something, we’re not interested,” the half-elf said. 

“Not selling something, so much as giving something away.” 

The half-elf and the human looked at each other, then back at Caleb. 

“Alright, let’s hear it,” the half-elf said. 

Caleb looked back and motioned at Mollymauk to follow him as he approached the wagon. 

“So you are...are you some sort of circus, then?” Caleb asked, looking at the other wagons. 

“Yes, we are,” the half-elf said, “My name is Gustav, I am the owner of this carnival. What is yours, if I might ask?” 

“Ah...well who I am does not really matter. He is the one who matters here,” Caleb said, gesturing to his companion, “This is Mollymauk.” 

Gustav raised an eyebrow. 

“An unusual name,” he said. 

“Yes, well, his is an unusual case.” 

Gustav nodded. 

“Nice to meet you, Mollymauk,” he said. He looked back at Caleb, “So what then are you giving away?” 

“Him,” Caleb said, “I found him in the woods near a fresh grave, and I do not know what happened to him - if perhaps his old traveling companions were killed or something - but he is all alone, and can barely take care of himself, and I...well, I am not the person for this job. I am sure, you being a circus, that you come across many strange people, collect many strange people. Perhaps you can help him. At the very least, you may have need of extra hands.” 

Gustav contemplated Caleb’s words for a moment. He looked at Mollymauk. 

“Is that all true?” he asked. 

The tiefling nodded. Gustav looked back at Caleb.

“Well, I suppose we could use a little extra help,” he said, “Some of our former stage hands recently left for greener pastures.”

“And if we turn him away, in these parts the gods only know where he might end up,” the human added. 

“Yes, my mother always told me to never trust a carnie, but I cannot personally say I have ever been wronged by one, and I would feel better leaving him with fellow weirdos instead of accidentally passing him off to bandits or slavers,” Caleb said.

Gustav nodded. 

“Alright,” he said, “You can leave him with us. We’ll take care of him.” 

“Thank you, I appreciate it.” 

Caleb looked at Mollymauk. 

“Alright, well...take care, I suppose. Remember what I said, and...be...good.” 

He patted the tiefling on the shoulder and gave him a thin, awkward smile. As he turned to go, Mollymauk reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Caleb looked back, startled. The tiefling returned his smile and spoke, the first words besides “empty” Caleb had heard from him in three weeks. 

“Thank you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caleb reunites with an old friend he never thought he'd hear from again. Circumstances, unfortunately, are less than ideal, but that's pretty par for the course for him and Molly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, bitch. Bet you thought you'd seen the last of me. 
> 
> So two disclaimers:   
> 1\. Like with the previous chapter, I can't guarantee I'll write any more of this, so unless I get another idea for another vignette within the same universe, you can just consider this complete.   
> 2\. Canon stuff that does happen is pretty heavily paraphrased, because that isn't the focus here. I didn't wanna write it all out, and ya'll probably don't wanna read it either, so ya know. Just FYI.
> 
> Ok that's it, enjoy!

“I slept for so long, and still I am exhausted. How is that possible?” Caleb muttered, resting his chin in his hand. He stared at the table, following the patterns made by the grain of the wood, as he waited for the barmaid to bring their order. 

“Well...it was a very long day,” Nott said, “A very...exciting day.” 

“A gross understatement,” he murmured, finally sitting up straight. 

He took a deep breath and looked out into the tavern of the Nestled Nook Inn. There were only a handful of other patrons, none of whom seemed interesting or, more importantly, who seemed worth robbing. He reminded himself to ask Nott later for more details on what she had seen on her walk around town. They were not likely to find anyone with anything worth stealing around the Ustaloch where most of the farmers and fisherman lived, but perhaps they would get lucky closer to the breweries. 

The barmaid brought them a plate of meats and potatoes, along with two Trosts, and told them to enjoy before turning and going back to the kitchen. Nott immediately began devouring the food, but the rich scent of the bacon was a little too much for Caleb’s stomach. He stuck to the ale, hoping if he took it slow, his appetite would return, and the fog of exhaustion would finally leave him. 

About half-way through their meal, he noticed a bit of a commotion at the door as two new patrons walked in. They immediately had the attention of almost everyone in the tavern, as they were both very difficult to miss. The first was a lavender-skinned man with a long, ostentatious coat with dozens of different symbols embroidered on it and two curved swords at his hips. The second was a pale woman who towered over him and eyed everyone with a mixture of disinterest and suspicion. They walked from table to table, engaging the patrons and leaving flyers with those most receptive. Nott went back to her food. 

“What do you ‘spose they want?” she asked. 

“I don’t know, but I hope they do not come over here,” Caleb replied. 

His prayer went unanswered. After passing by the bar, the duo circled back around and started heading towards the tables on Nott and Caleb’s side of the tavern. There were fewer patrons on their side, and it would only be a matter of seconds before the strangers were on them. Caleb kept his eyes on his ale, refusing to look at either of them directly. 

“What should we do?” Nott hissed, “Should we...oh! We could-.” 

But it was too late. The man in the gaudy coat swept up to the table, brandishing a flyer and a sly grin. 

“A very good morning to you, folks,” he said, “You look like a couple of people in need of a little excitement.” 

“Oh I assure you we have had far too much of that already,” Caleb said. 

He looked up at the man, and immediately blanched. For a moment the tavern disappeared, and all he could see was dark red and vibrant lavender in shades that clawed at the inside of his head, dragging up memories that hadn’t been revisited in a long time. His thoughts wouldn’t collect into coherent sentences, and he wasn’t able to pull his eyes away until he finally put all the colliding words and images back in order. He looked back down at the table. 

_ No, it’s not him. There are probably lots of purple tieflings out there, and this one is far too articulate.  _

He glanced back up from his drink, wondering if the man had caught him staring. Based on his confused and somewhat curious expression, he had. Again, he felt that pang of familiarity in his mind, but it was overshadowed by anxiety. Caleb looked down again. 

_ Shit.  _

He took a drink. The tiefling’s eyes flicked back and forth between him and Nott, quickly ascertaining that this was not going to be a productive stop. 

“Well, I’ll leave a flyer with you just in case you change your mind. We’ve got a fantastic show tonight, guaranteed to shock and amuse even the most jaded of audiences,” he said, laying a colorful piece of parchment down on the table, “You have a marvelous day.” 

Caleb gave him and his tall companion an absent-minded wave before they turned and walked away from the table and back towards the bar. He heard the woman say something about having some time and wanting a drink, which her companion agreed heartily to. Caleb looked down at the flyer. 

“What’s it say?” Nott asked 

He turned it around and picked it up. 

“The Fletching and Moondrop Traveling Carnival of Curiosities,” Caleb said. 

_ A purple tiefling with red eyes traveling with a carnival.  _

He looked up towards the bar as the tiefling and the pale woman sat down and ordered. Then he looked back down at the flyer and began dusting off and sifting through everything he could remember about the circus two years ago. He never learned its name, only the first name of its owner. That information wasn’t listed on the flyer, and none of the designs that decorated the page looked familiar. 

_ Tieflings in circuses, that cannot be a rare occurrence,  _ he thought. He looked back up at the tiefling, studied the way he slid the bartender a tip and smiled, and watched the tight flourishes he made with his hands,  _ No this cannot be the same person.  _

“Caleb? Are you alright?” Nott asked. 

“Yes, fine,” Caleb replied, setting the flyer down and taking another sip of his ale. 

“It’s ok, I’ve got a bit of a bad feeling about them too.” 

“No, it is not that, I just...Well, it does not matter.” 

Nott gave him a skeptical look, but didn’t say anything else. She continued eating, and kept her own watch over the circus people as they had their drinks and talked. Caleb stared down into his glass, but he couldn’t stop himself from looking back at the flyer, reading the text over and over again as he flipped back and forth between “this is the same circus and the same tiefling” and “this is a coincidence and I am being stupid.” 

“He keeps looking at you, Caleb,” Nott whispered after another ten minutes had passed. 

Caleb looked at her. 

“Who? The tiefling?” he asked. 

“He keeps looking over here. You don’t think they’re planning anything, do you?” she asked. 

“If they are, they are perhaps the most obvious thieves I have ever encountered.” 

Caleb looked back up at the pair. He tapped his fingers on the table, wishing they would just leave already so he could stop spinning his wheels and think about more important things, like how to replenish their funds while also staying as far away from the Crown’s Guard as possible. At that moment, the tiefling looked back at him again. They locked eyes, and Caleb felt frozen. Just as he was about to look away again, the man put his index finger to his lips, made a “c” with his other fingers, and curled his finger down towards his chin. Caleb had to stop himself from practically jumping out of his chair. 

_ Mollymauk.  _

The pale woman tapped Molly on the shoulder and said something Caleb couldn’t quite hear. Molly looked back over to her and nodded. Then he looked at Caleb again. It was little more than a lingering glance, but Caleb could see this disappointment in his eyes. He left one last flyer on the bar, and he and his companion stood up and began heading for the door. In his head, Caleb pleaded with himself to say something, to stop them, to reach out and wave, “yes, it’s me!” but he didn’t. He stayed frozen to the spot, and watched in numb silence as they left the tavern. 

“Was that some kind of signal?!” Nott hissed, “You saw that, right?! He made some kind of hand gesture, then they left! They’re up to something, I know it!” 

“No,” Caleb said, his mouth going dry, “No, I don’t think so.” 

“Then what the hell did that mean? If that was Thieve’s Cant, it wasn’t any signal I knew, but who knows what kind of secret codes circus people have,” she continued, “Maybe we should follow them. Get the drop on them first.” 

“Ah...no. No that is not a good idea.”

“Why not?”

Caleb sighed. 

_ How much do I tell her? If I tell her the whole story she may not ask any more questions, but is that a risk I want to take? _

“Because they...if they want to rob us, following them will only get us within range to do so. We are better off staying here where there are witnesses,” he said. 

“Well...I suppose,” Nott said, sounding disappointed, but she didn’t press the issue. 

As they returned to their food, Caleb tried not to let his internal storm of confusion and panic show on his face. 

_ What am I supposed to do with this? Do I...do I go talk to him? What would I even say? What would  _ he  _ say? Obviously he remembers me.  _

He took another sip of his ale and three more patrons entered the tavern and took a seat at the table next to them. 

_ Perhaps I should just leave it. He didn’t seem one hundred percent  _ sure  _ it was me. That sign felt more like a question than anything. We could just move on.  _

Nott glanced at the newcomers - a dark-skinned woman, a blue tiefling woman, and a green-skinned man who could have been a half-orc if he had the tusks to match - as they sat down, ordered some drinks, and began talking. In the tiefling’s hands was one of the circus’s flyers. 

“We should go. It looks like a  _ lot  _ of fun, you guys,” the tiefling said. 

“I mean...yeah it would be cool, but I don’t know, that guy kinda creeped me out,” the woman said, “Not sure I trust him.”

_ So you do not want to see him even a little? Even though he has changed so much? You know you have questions, so what is the harm in having just a quick chat?  _ Caleb thought, still wrapped up in his own head. 

“I dunno, they seemed alright to me,” the green man said. 

“Yeah, don’t be  _ racist,  _ Beau,” the tiefling said. 

“What?! No, that’s not-! I didn’t say that because-!” the woman spluttered. 

The tiefling started giggling, and the woman sighed. 

“Ok, whatever, let’s go to the damn circus.”

“Oh this is going to be so much fun!” the tiefling said with a smile. She glanced over at Caleb and Nott’s table. 

_ No, you know why. You ask questions, questions will come back to you. _

“Um hel-lo?” 

Caleb snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing the bright, sing-song voice address him. He turned his head towards the other table. The blue tiefling was staring at him and Nott. Caleb blinked at her. 

“Ah, yes, yes what do you want?” he asked. 

“I said ‘What about you? Are you going?’” the tiefling asked. 

“Going? Going where?”

“I think she’s talking about the circus,” Nott murmured. 

“Oh. No, why would we?” Caleb asked. 

“Well I just saw he gave you a flyer, too,” the tiefling said. 

“Jester, leave ‘em be,” the green man said. 

“Though I don’t know if you should go, you smell really bad,” she continued. 

Caleb stared at her. 

“Sorry?”

“I said you stink, you know they have showers here, right?”

“Ah...right.”

The tiefling smiled and put out her hand. 

“Hi, I’m Jester,” she said. 

Dumbstruck and unsure of how to react to anything Jester just said, Caleb reached out and shook her hand. He was startled by the strength of her grip as she gave him an enthusiastic handshake. 

“Ah...Caleb,” he said. 

“I’m sorry about her,” the green man said. 

“No, no, it’s, um...it’s alright,” Caleb said. 

“You do smell though,” the other woman said. The man just sighed. 

The woman looked down at Nott, who’d been eyeing them with suspicion practically since they walked in. Caleb felt a spike of adrenaline as he wondered if this stranger had seen through Nott’s disguise, but if she had she didn’t seem afraid or disturbed. Just curious and a bit suspicious.

As time passed, they introduced themselves and held awkward conversations on and off between orders of food and drink. Caleb learned that Jester and the green man, Fjord, were from the coast, and Fjord was trying to get into the Soltryce Academy. Caleb tried not to flinch at the mention of it. He was thankful when the conversation didn’t linger on it and instead turned to how the three of them ended up together. The woman, Beau, ran into Fjord and Jester on the road, and they helped a farmer with some kind of giant snake threatening his livelihood. Now they were just traveling together for convenience’s sake. 

Nott and Jester seemed to hit it off right away, which Caleb was thankful for. Less of the burden of conversation was placed on him, and he could let himself be distracted by his own thoughts. Plus it was nice to see Nott getting along with strangers. Sometimes it felt like they pissed off every person they came across. Perhaps this group was just as weird and outcast as they were.

As both food and conversation ran dry, Beau spoke up. 

“So do we wanna do that beer tour thing we were talkin’ about?” she asked, “We’ve got time before the show starts.” 

“Yeah, we should get going,” Fjord said. 

As the group stood up, Jester looked at Nott. 

“Do you two want to come with us? We could all go to the circus together,” she said with a sweet smile. 

“Well...I suppose it couldn’t hurt,” Nott said, “Caleb?” 

She acted casual, but Caleb could see she wanted to go. He shrugged. 

“Well, I don’t know about the circus, but I suppose we could tag along until then,” he said.

“Great!” Jester said, “Let’s go!” 

They left money on their respective tables and exited the tavern. Beau, Fjord, and Jester walked ahead, but Nott hung back and looked up at Caleb. 

“You sure you don’t want to go to the circus?” she asked, “I mean, if we’re with a group, I don’t think they’ll try to steal from us, and if they try to cheat us or something, we can just threaten to stab them or something.” 

“You can go if you like, it’s ok,” Caleb said. 

“You mean...you mean without you?” 

“These people don’t seem all that bad to me. They were not bothered by you being a goblin, so I doubt they will try to hurt you.” 

“But...but what about you? Will you be ok? You’ve been acting really strange ever since those carnies came in,” Nott said. 

“Ya, ya, I’ll be fine. I am just, still, very tired.” 

“Well...if you’re sure.” 

“I am. It’ll be ok.” 

With that, they picked up their pace and rejoined the group. 

* * *

As the sun dipped lower in the sky, signaling the end of the day and the beginning of the circus, Caleb parted ways with the rest of the group. Part of him  _ was  _ nervous about leaving Nott on her own with strangers, but over the course of the beer tour, she and Jester talked almost non-stop. Caleb tried to look at Fjord and Beau when they thought no one else was watching, but neither of them acted hostile or otherwise shifty.  Frankly, Beau seemed more interested in him, asking him what he and Nott were doing in town, how they knew each other, etc. Questions he’d been more than happy to dodge. But that’s all he received from this strange trio: curiosity. Nothing more.

At the very least, Caleb knew Nott was scrappy. And, if her scrappiness wasn’t enough, he didn’t plan on being very far behind anyway. 

He wished he had a better plan for sneaking into the circus unseen, but there were so many variables he was unaware of. He would have to play the whole thing by ear, which made him very nervous. Improvising in physical fights was nothing he couldn’t handle, but this was more of a...a social fight than anything else. Himself vs. a deep desire to satisfy his curiosity without having to answer anyone’s questions. He had no idea what he would do if he were caught. 

But there was no time to dwell on it. As soon as he was out of view of Nott and their new acquaintances, he spun a disguise around himself and followed them. He doubted they would notice or care about some random peasant walking in the same direction as them, especially when they were heading to a show, but just in case he made sure to stay well back. Before long they arrived at the lake shore and were greeted by the sounds of excited chatter and upbeat music. 

Caleb hung back as Nott and the others got in line. He looked at the tent draped in colorful flags and at the circus people milling among the customers. He spotted Gustav with a burly half-orc near the entrance to the bigtop. Nearby was a man in colorful face paint playing a violin. Something about him was familiar, but through the makeup, Caleb couldn’t be sure of his identity. He spotted the pale woman who’d been with Molly collecting weapons of patrons, and then he finally spotted his target. Caleb watched as Nott and the others moved up in the line, and Molly greeted them warmly, more than happy to take their money. Caleb moved closer, trying to listen to their conversation, but between the crowd noise and the music, he couldn’t hear a thing. 

He had plenty of hard evidence that this man was the same man he’d found in the woods two years ago, but somehow he couldn’t bring himself to believe it. He found himself watching every turn of his head and flick of his tail, just trying to consolidate the two images he held in his mind into one person. He wondered if he’d ever be over the shock. Still, it made him glad. Such a dramatic transformation was good, even if it was jarring to see. Caleb stepped back further as the last of the customers filed in in front of the carnival’s members, and the tent flaps were drawn so the show could begin. 

Inside the tent he could hear music swelling and see lights flickering on. The rest of the camp was silent. Caleb walked around the edge of the large tent towards the clusters of smaller tents in the back, and hid around corners and behind crates as he watched the last few performers take their places backstage. He could see no others lingering in the camp, but he couldn’t allow himself to get too comfortable. He continued to move quickly and quietly as he inspected the carnival’s setup. 

Compared to the bright banners and jaunty music at the front of the circus, the performer’s personal tents were rather drab. Basic canvas tents, all shared by a handful of people at once. Still, it didn’t need to be luxurious to be comfortable. It was certainly good enough for Caleb. 

_ Good enough for what? _ he asked himself,  _ What am I even looking for here? _

Confirmation that he made a good decision? That the carnival was taking good care of his former woodland companion? The thought was impractical and embarrassing, but he had no better excuse. He kept moving.

After making a complete circle around the small camp, he headed back towards the big top. He could hear the music inside changing from a violin to a woman singing. He stopped a moment to listen, surprised by the sweetness of the music. Then he sighed and shook his head. He should go back to the inn. He would wait for Nott to return, and after that? He wasn’t exactly sure. He didn’t want to just let all of this go, but he was too much of a coward to do anything-.

A chorus of shrieks stifled the music. 

Caleb froze, fists clenched. The screams grew louder. A sickening, monstrous groan echoed over the din. Against his better judgement, he sprinted towards the entrance and was met by a wave of commoners racing to escape. Unable to see inside, he grabbed one of the audience members. 

“What is happening in there? What is going on?!” he asked. 

“I don’t know! I don’t know, there’s some kind of-of-of zombie or something!” the woman stammered before breaking away from him and rejoining the crowd. 

_ Zombie?  _

He pushed past the edge of the stampede and forced his way inside the tent. Over the heads of those fleeing, he could see the fight that had broken out and, much to his surprise, his and Nott’s new acquaintances leading the charge. Beau struck at the strange undead creature that had appeared, followed by the pale woman they’d seen earlier. Fjord was carving through the beast with his falchion, and there seemed to be two Jesters now causing havoc for the creature. He couldn’t see Nott, but he assumed she was hiding somewhere among the crowd. Finally he saw Molly just as he drew one scimitar from his belt and dragged it across his own chest, causing crystals of muddy, red ice to form across the blade. 

Caleb had no time to process what he’d just seen as a second zombie rose up from the corpse of a woman he hadn’t noticed before. It moaned and growled at the group. Somewhere he heard a tiny goblin shriek and saw a crossbow bolt fly out towards the creature. He swore under his breath and reached into his pocket. 

He brought out a small diamond, muttered an incantation, and the diamond began to levitate and glow between his hands. A sickly green spray of acid shot out towards the first zombie, who was starting to look a little worse for wear as the pale woman stabbed it with her massive sword. The zombie shrieked and stumbled, swinging wildly at its attackers. Jester’s eyes darted towards Caleb when she noticed the spell, but neither she nor anyone else called attention to it.

Caleb only got one more good shot off at the second zombie before the fight began to resolve itself. The monsters were little more than conglomerations of wrecked flesh and didn’t stand a chance against so many swords cutting them up. They both fell before the last members of the crowd had even exited the tent. Caleb began following the crowd and backing outside.

_ Oh I should not have drawn attention to myself,  _ he thought. 

As he stepped out into the night air, he saw Crown’s Guards racing off of the street towards the tent. Nearby he saw Gustav and the burly half orc panicking and whispering to each other in frantic tones as the law descended on their camp.

_ I cannot be here. I cannot be here.  _

Caleb turned away from the guards, aiming to sneak off and out the back in the chaos. It would do him no good to be snagged by the Crown and questioned, especially when he didn’t know how any of this had started. Unfortunately he didn’t get far from the entrance before he felt a sort of tickle in the back of his mind. A little blip of magical energy. Then he glanced down at his hands and realized his disguise had dropped, right then and there for all to see. 

“Hey!” 

Caleb spun around when he heard the shout just as a guard in full armor came rushing towards him. 

“Oh no,” he sighed, seconds before being tackled to the ground. 

“Look what I got  _ ‘ere!”  _ the guard crowed. 

He pulled Caleb to his feet, arms behind his back. He puffed out his chest as if he’d just captured a hardened crime boss, not a malnourished hobo. Caleb just sighed. 

“I can explain this-,” he said, but no one seemed particularly interested in that. The two guards present were too busy pushing their way inside the big top and shouting at anything that moved to care. 

As they pushed Caleb inside the tent, he was met with baffled stares from the rest of the group. He couldn’t bring himself to look at any of them as his cheeks began to warm.  

_ You are a fucking idiot, Caleb. A real dunce.  _

Their attention didn’t linger long on Caleb, however, as the scene inside the tent continued to devolve into chaos. Gustav rushed in along with the guards, the half-orc hot on his heels, directing his panic at those still left inside. 

“What happened?!” he shouted. He looked over at Molly, his expression frantic, almost pleading. Molly looked helplessly at the scene before them. 

“I-I don’t know, one of them just turned I-,” he stammered. 

“There was an old guy! And old sick guy!” Jester called, “And he turned into a zombie!” 

Fjord turned to the pale woman who stood near one of the corpses, stunned, her sword still in her hands. 

“Yasha, have you ever seen anything like this before?” he asked. 

She shook her head. 

“No. Never.” 

“I-I am...I am terribly sorry, nothing like this has ever happened before, I don’t know what happened, what happened?!” Gustav stammered. 

Everyone’s voices overlapped as they all tried to piece together the last few minutes. They mentioned a dwarf girl and a devil toad and an old man transforming after she started singing. Back and forth they went debating whether or not the song had anything to do with it, Gustav insisting she was just a normal girl and the rest of the group not seeming entirely convinced. All the while the guards stood on high alert. One walked back outside with the rest of the crowd, calling for backup. 

“Well I found this one lurking outside,” the guard holding Caleb chimed in, “Usin’ magic to disguise himself. You have anythin’ to do with this?”

“No, you are making a mistake,” Caleb said, but the guard didn’t seem convinced. 

Nott opened her mouth to speak, but she faltered for just a half second, leaving the door wide open for Mollymauk to come sweeping in. 

“Oh he’s hardly a necromancer. It’s ok. He’s with me,” he said. 

Immediate confused stares from the whole crew, Nott most of all. Even Gustav blanked for a second. Molly paid them no mind. 

“Is he now?” the guard asked. He looked at Caleb, “You a member of this freak show then?”

“Oh, ah-,” Molly started. Gustav cut him off. 

“These two are not with the circus,” he said. 

If the lie threw Molly off for even a second, he didn’t let it show. 

“No, we’re not. We’ve been traveling together, haven’t we…” 

His confidence faltered for just a brief moment. He seemed to be struggling with a phrase or a word. Or a name. Caleb’s eyes widened. 

_ Did I never speak my name out loud to him? Not once during that whole time? _

Molly’s floundering answered his question for him. Caleb took a breath. 

“Really, Mollymauk, have you forgotten my name already?” he asked in faux exasperation. 

Nott and Yasha’s heads both whipped towards him. Nott seemed to be mentally shrieking questions at him, but there was murder in Yasha’s eyes. Molly just smiled, and for a second he seemed to forget their delicate situation. 

“In my defense, my memory has never been particularly good,” he said, “I only remember the nickname I’ve been calling you.”

“It’s Caleb,” Caleb said, “Widogast.”

“Ah. Nice to meet you. Again.”

The guard eyed them carefully. 

“So then what the hell was you doin’ outside the tent usin’ magic, huh?” the guard asked. 

“Yes, I thought you weren’t coming to the show,” Molly said, not bothering to conceal his sarcasm. 

“Ah, well…” Caleb paused and chuckled nervously, “I think you may laugh at me for this, but I did not want to come with because I saw some old friends of mine were going too, and I am afraid I was too embarrassed by the prospect of seeing them again.”

Molly grinned, his expression disgustingly smug. 

“Couldn’t stay away though, could you?” he asked. 

“I have learned my lesson, no need to rub it in.”

The guard sighed. Paused. Then released Caleb from his grasp. Caleb backed away from him towards the rest of the group. He met Molly’s eye and nodded in thanks. A beat of silence passed among the occupants of the tent, broken quickly by Nott taking a deep breath and saying what Caleb was sure everyone was thinking. 

“Ok, what the  _ fuck?”  _

“Alright, what’s going on here?” a new voice chimed in. 

The guard jumped and looked towards the tent’s entrance. Standing there with another group of guards just behind him was a man in Imperial armor slightly more ornate than the others. The other guards began pouring in, hands on their swords. 

“Captain, sir!” the guard barked, standing at attention and saluting. 

The captain glowered at the group in front of him, his eyes lingering on Gustav in particular. 

“I knew you would be nothing but trouble when you came into our town,” he said. 

“Sir, I assure you, I have no idea what happened. This...terrible occurrence has nothing to do with us,” Gustav said, “Nothing like this has ever happened at any of our shows before.” 

The captain looked at the guard who had previously been holding Caleb. 

“What happened here?” he asked. 

“Well, from the look of it, this carnival sent a zombie creature rampaging through the audience, who attacked another person who also became a zombie,” the guard said. 

“And who else saw this?” 

“We did,” Fjord said. 

“Uh, I mean we saw an old guy turn into a zombie, but he could have just died because he was old and already had the zombie curse on him,” Jester said, “That happens a lot, you know.” 

“I mean, we all saw the same thing,” Fjord offered, “That guy turned into a monster, and we all killed it. That’s as much as any of us know.” 

The captain didn’t seem convinced. Molly glared at him as if he had something to say, but he held his tongue. The captain strode towards Gustav, a steely look in his eye. 

“Well sir, you, and your orc, and your circus are all under arrest,” he said, “Who else belongs to your merry band?” 

“Ah...yes. Myself...and the orc,” Gustav said, holding his hands up. He glanced at Molly and Yasha, then back at the captain, “The others are, as I said to your comrade earlier, just patrons of our humble establishment.” 

The captain stared each member of the group down, and for a moment Caleb was sure he would see through Gustav’s lie, but he moved on without batting an eye. 

“And what of the rest of you? What are your names?” he asked. 

“Shirley,” Jester said. 

“Temple,” Nott replied. 

Caleb held back a sigh. 

“Caleb,” he said, “Widogast.” 

“I’m Beau, same him,” Beau said, gesturing vaguely to her right. Fjord blinked, then fixed the captain with a look of absolute confidence. 

“Beau,” he said. 

Beau bit her lip and looked at the ground, as if suppressing a laugh.  

“Uh, it’s Mary by the way,” Yasha said, “but I think I know who might be responsible for this.” 

The captain raised his eyebrow. 

“Oh?” 

“I would have to take you to her, the singer who made this happen.” 

The captain nodded at the other guard. 

“Very well. Please escort this woman to this singer she speaks of,” he said. 

“Uh, she’s really shy though, and she only talks to tieflings-,” Jester said. 

“Stay where you are,” the captain growled. Jester nodded and scratched the back of her head. He looked back at the group again, “So you were responsible for destroying these fiends?” 

“Yeah,” Beau said. The others nodded and echoed her. 

“Then on behalf of the Starosta, I thank you,” he said, “but until this matter is settled, you are all under investigation. Do not leave this city. If you do, I have your names, and I can summon the full might of the Cerberus Assembly to track you down. Is that clear?” 

Everyone nodded. 

“You, escort that one out and find this singer. Where is it you are staying?” 

“The Nestled Nook Inn,” Fjord replied. 

“I will have my men escort you back. You are to remain there unless otherwise called for. Let us hope this matter is resolved quickly, and the truth comes to light.”

* * *

 

The walk back was uncomfortably quiet. Beau and Jester tried initially to warm the guards up and get them talking, but their antics fell flat. No one was in the mood to joke around. Caleb walked with his hands in his pockets near the front of the group. Nott walked next to him and remained silent the whole time, but he could almost feel the burning curiosity coming off of her. Every so often she would shoot a suspicion glance at Molly, who Caleb was sure was also staring at him. Everyone was probably staring at him. He was not looking forward to the moment the guards left.

They arrived at the inn and the guards repeated their warning to stay put under threat of imprisonment. As everyone trudged upstairs, complaining about this whole stupid situation, Caleb hung back, hoping Molly would follow so they’d get a chance to talk alone. No such luck, at least not on the “alone” front. Nott was practically glued to him. Molly looked back at him as he climbed the stairs, and seemed to smile at the sight of the tiny goblin lurking at Caleb’s heels. Caleb held back a sigh. 

“Ah, Nott, would you, um, mind giving us a moment?” he murmured. 

Nott looked up at him. He expected annoyance or concern, but instead he saw a sort of eager frustration, as if he’d started reading a particularly tense scene in a book to her and stopped right at the end of the chapter. She looked over at Molly who had stopped halfway up the stairs, then back to Caleb. 

“Alright,” she said, “but we are having a  _ talk  _ later, sir.” 

He nodded sheepishly. Satisfied, Nott continued up the stairs. As Caleb followed her with his eyes, he noticed the rest of the group lurking at the top of the landing. They scattered like rats as soon as they realized they’d been spotted. Molly chuckled. 

“Nosy bunch, aren’t they?” he said, “Friends of yours?” 

“No, we just met today,” Caleb said with a sigh, “Well, Nott and I have been traveling together for a bit, but the other three, no, they are not my friends.” 

“That’s a shame. They seem entertaining.” 

“Oh if only you knew.” 

Caleb paused and took a deep breath. He put his hands in his coat pockets. 

“So, ah...this is...very unexpected. It has been a while,” he said, “You, um...obviously you have...changed...a lot.” 

Molly grinned and descended a few steps so he and Caleb were on the same level.

“Why thank you, it’s been a long work in progress,” he said. 

“So things have been going well at the circus?” Caleb asked, “Or...well, were going well I suppose.” 

“It’s had its ups and downs, but I’d say you couldn’t have picked a better troupe of misfits and weirdos. They’re good people. Odd, but good people. Definitely had nothing to do with that business we just saw.” 

“That’s good. That’s good to hear.” 

“You haven’t changed a bit,” Molly observed. 

“Oh, no...no I am still the same lowly hobo.” 

“But you have a friend now, and you’re sleeping at an actual inn. I’d call that progress.” 

“Barely.” 

“Progress is progress, my friend.” 

Molly shrugged and leaned against the railing. For a moment Caleb found himself distracted again by his old friend’s colorful new look. The dim candlelight glinted off the numerous baubles that adorned his horns, and when Caleb’s eyes weren’t being drawn in by their shine, they were getting lost in the swirling peacock feathers that ran up his neck and the maze of fine, white lines that criss-crossed his chest. Had those scars always been there? Or had he just never noticed them before now? 

“Is, ah, that all...new?” he asked. 

“Oh this?” Molly asked, pulling the collar of his coat aside to expose more of the tattoo on his neck and collarbone, “Yeah, that’s new.” 

“And the, um, the scars?” 

“No. No, those were there.” 

Caleb paused and glanced back up the stairs to make sure the landing was still empty. He wanted to ask, now that Molly was here and coherent, how he’d ended up in the woods like that two years ago, but he wasn’t quite sure how. He wasn’t sure if it was something Molly would even want to talk about. He looked back at Molly. The tiefling’s jovial expression faded somewhat, and he took a breath. 

“Alright, um...I think we should continue this conversation somewhere else,” he said. He put one hand on the railing and took a step further up the stairs. 

“Upstairs might have some, ah, prying ears,” Caleb said, glancing back at the landing. 

“Better than going outside and getting thrown in the stockade just for talking,” Molly said, “I need to get a room here anyway.” 

He couldn’t argue with that. It didn’t take long for Molly to speak with the barkeep and get a room key. With that taken care of, the two of them retreated upstairs. Caleb half expected to find Nott lurking around upstairs, eavesdropping, but he saw no trace of the goblin. However, as they passed one of the four rooms the inn kept, he did hear a familiar, shrill voice coming from inside, followed by the voices of their three new acquaintances. Molly seemed to hear it too as he unlocked the room nextdoor. 

“I may end up staying in your room tonight,” Caleb muttered. 

Molly grinned.

“Slow down there, friend. Buy me a drink first,” he said, stepping inside. 

“I do not think I could afford it if I wanted to,” Caleb replied, following him. 

“ _ If  _ you wanted to? I’m offended, sir.” 

“Oh it is to your benefit, I assure you. If you are trying to move on from being a dirty beggar, being seen with me will not help you.” 

Molly smiled and sat down on one of the beds. Caleb hovered for an anxious moment before sitting down on the other one. 

“It is good to see you, by the way,” Molly said, “You know I...don’t exactly like to think about...well, any of the stuff before, but I always wondered what happened to you. I’m glad to see you’re doing alright.” 

“Yes, likewise…” Caleb murmured, “Ah...well, now I hate to say anything but-.” 

“I knew you were gonna ask,” Molly said with a dismissive wave of his hand, “Go on. Out with it. You’ve already seen me at my worst. There’s no point in trying to hide anything from you.” 

Caleb took a deep breath and leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. 

“What happened to you, Mollymauk? Can you say, now that you’ve sort of...come back to yourself?” 

Molly grimaced.

“Well I wouldn’t call it that,” he muttered, “Ah...no. No, I can’t. I can’t because I don’t remember what happened to me.” 

“You do not remember?” 

“No. I’m amazed I remember you, or anything that you said to me out there. The first few days - well the first week really, is...sort of fuzzy. My earliest memory is waking up, covered in dirt, and digging my way out of someone else’s grave. The next day, you showed up. And here we are.” 

“You said, someone  _ else’s  _ grave?” 

“Well...in a sense. Whoever got buried there, that person isn’t me. Not anymore. And it’s-...I don’t remember anything about who I was before, but sometimes I’ll get these...these little hints. Just little flashes of something. And every time it’s happened, I didn’t like what I saw. That isn’t who I want to be. It’s someone else.” 

“Are you talking about memories, or…?” 

“No. No, not really. It’s more like...instincts.” 

“Have you explored any of these...instincts? Have you tried to learn more?” 

“No, and I don’t want to. I don’t want-,” Molly paused and took a breath, trying to find the right words, “The way I see it...whoever’s ass got put in the dirt, that isn’t me. Whatever that person did before, that isn’t part of who I am. That isn’t my life. The way I see it, someone got his ass killed out in the woods, and left this body behind, and now it’s mine. And I’m going to do what I want with it. Fuck everyone else.” 

Caleb nodded, taking a moment to absorb everything Molly said. It was far from what he expected, and yet, nothing about it made him think Molly was lying. In fact, everything was starting to make sense now. No wonder he’d been so vacant and nervous when they’d first met. No wonder he’d said nothing. Well, nothing except…

_ Empty. Literally.  _

“That is...quite an unbelievable tale,” he said, “and you have no idea what might have brought you back?” 

“No. Not a clue,” Molly said. 

Caleb nodded. 

“Well, my friend, I do not envy the strange position this puts you in, but it seems you have been given the enviable gift of a fresh start,” he said, “I certainly won’t be the one to take that from you. You say you do not care about what happened to you before, so that is good enough for me.” 

Molly paused. Smiled. 

“Thank you. I appreciate that,” he said. 

“How about this, then. This is your new life, this is a new day. How about we start fresh as well,” Caleb said, “Hello, I am Caleb Widogast.” 

He held his hand out. Molly leaned forward and took it. 

“Mollymauk Tealeaf, at your service.” 

“Pleasure.” 

“No, my friend, the pleasure is all mine.” 

He smiled and released Caleb’s hand. 

“So, you and the goblin. I bet there’s an interesting story there,” he said. 

“Oh, no, not really,” Caleb replied, “We were, ah, cell mates for a time. And now we are not. We work well together, so, no reason to split up.”

“I suppose we’re both after fresh starts then.”

“... _ Ja,  _ you could say that.”

“Not sure she likes me.”

“She will come around, I’m sure.”

Caleb paused. His face warmed. 

_ Slow down, no one said we were sticking together.  _

“Speaking of Nott, I know she will have questions,” he continued, “What do you want me to say to her?”

Molly furrowed his brow in thought.

“I think...I think just keep this between us for now. Certainly I can’t control anything that happens after this whole investigation is over, but right now I don’t think anyone needs to know,” he said. 

“And what of the investigation? Do you think your friends will be cleared of blame?”

“I…” Molly sighed, “Honestly I don’t know, but I do know that the watch master has been gunning for us since we arrived. I’m not feeling very optimistic right now.” 

“What will you do if Gustav is charged? That was his name, correct? The half elf?”

“I’m surprised you remember that.”

“There is little I do not remember.”

“Indeed. Yes, that’s him,” Molly said, “And no. I don’t know what I’ll do. I don’t know what any of us will do. Gustav runs the show. We couldn’t stay in business without him. Not as we are, anyway.”

“Well, I suppose...if this all goes belly up, you could always come with Nott and I. Of course, I do not want you to be separated from your compatriots, but you know. The offer is on the table.”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that either, but...I may take you up on that,” Molly said. He smiled, “I can think of worse company to have.”

* * *

Eventually Caleb resigned himself to the fact that he would have to return to his own room, otherwise Nott would surely come looking for him. Sure, he could try to avoid her if she did, but it wouldn’t matter in the end. Regardless of what he did, he would have to answer her questions sooner or later. Better to get it over with now so they could all move on.

As expected, Nott jumped on him as soon as he walked into the room. She rushed over and tugged on his coat, practically bouncing up and down. 

“Who is that, how do you know him, tell me everything right now!” she pleaded. 

“Ok, ok, shh,” Caleb said. 

He sighed and sat down on his bed. 

“Did you know who he was when he showed up earlier? Is that why you were acting so weird?” she asked. 

“I wasn’t sure at first. It has been a long time since I have seen him.” 

“How long?” 

“About two years now.” 

“How did you meet? Were you in the circus too?” 

“No, I wasn’t. I…” 

He sighed again and rested his face in his hands for a second. So what was the story here? Should he lie outright? Or just omit some details? He didn’t know what they would be faced with once the investigation concluded, so perhaps it would be safer to tell some half truths. He looked back up at Nott. 

“I met him while traveling in the forest. He had been...separated from his people, and he needed help so...we stuck together for a little while. When we parted ways, he went with a passing circus and I...kept to myself.” 

Nott narrowed his eyes. 

“That’s it?” she asked. 

“More or less,  _ ja.”  _

“Then what was with that signal he gave you earlier? And why didn’t he know your name?” 

“We...well we didn’t talk a lot when we were together.” 

She raised an eyebrow. Caleb’s face went red. 

“Not like that, I mean-.” 

He sighed. 

“We had signals in case there was danger,” he said, “and it was a long time ago. I would not expect him to remember the name of someone he only spent three weeks with.” 

“You were together for three  _ weeks?”  _

“We-yes. Yes, ok. Is that it? Is that all you wanted to ask me?” 

Nott paused and thought about it. He didn’t like the smug smile forming on her face. 

“Alright,” she said, “Yeah. That’s it.” 

“Ok. Now, I think we should figure out what we are going to do about this investigation,” Caleb said, “Personally, I would not like to be trapped here until the Crown’s Guard figures out what happened.” 

“Yeah, the rest of us were talking about that. We think if we can figure it out and solve the case, we’ll be free to go,” Nott said, “but, I mean, we could also just run for it.” 

That was true, and a very tempting idea, but...the thought made him a little sad. It seemed a shame to just vanish into the night after everything. 

“Well, if we were to stay, I think this is a decent group of people to stay with. And there is safety in numbers. If we are with a group of people, we can avoid any more...incidents,” he said. 

“And who knows, maybe Molly will join us.” 

Nott smiled and waggled her eyebrows. Caleb sighed. 

“Let’s just stay focused, ya?” 

“Ok. Whatever you say, Caleb.” 

“Should we go find the others? Come up with some kind of plan?” 

“Sure, no time like the present."

Nott grinned, an almost childlike glee in her eyes. 

“Let’s go solve a mystery.” 


End file.
